Carriage-spring.



No. 647,579. Patented Apr. |7, |900. E. n. UHANLAN.

CARRIAGE SPRING.

(Application led Dec. 4, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

Patented Apr. I7, |900.

Y E. D. OHANLAN. CARRIAGE SPRING.

(Application led Dec. 4, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

side springs.

STARS irricm PnTnnT CARRIAGE-SPRING.

srnorrrcn'rron forming part of Lettere Patent Ne. 647,579, dated apra 1 7, 19Go.

Application illed December 4,1899. Serial No. '73 9,095. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that l, EDWARD D. OHANLAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carriage Springs and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to road-vehicles, and has for its especial object to provide improved supporting springs and equalizing connections for the springs.

To the above ends the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure lis a view principally in side elevation, but with some parts sectioned and others broken away, showing a road-vehicle with my improved spring devices and equalizing connections applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the central portion of one of the Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the road-vehicle. Fig. 4 is a detail view, partly in plan and partlyin section, showing the end portions of one of the springs and means for connecting the same to the rear axle. Fig. 5 is a detail view, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, illustrating the means for attaching the side reachrods to the so-called head-block. Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 5, but taken on different lines; and Fig. 7 is a transverse section on the line a, ci of Fig 2.

Of the parts of the vehicle, l indicates the front wheels; 2, the rear wheels; 3, the front axle; el, the rear axle 5 5, the head-block; 6, the socalled fifth-wheel, 7 8, the reachbars; 9, the body, and a the side springs as entireties.

The novelty of my invention resides principally in the construction of the side springs Ct, but other minor novel features will be hereinafter noted. These novel side springs are each made up of three sections a a2 a3, the members a and a2 being spaced apart and eX- tended parallel, while the springsection a3 is reversed or turned upside down, with its central portion placed between the central portions of the other two springs and rigidly secured thereto by suitable devices. three springs are in this preferred construe'- tion thus tied or rigidly secured at their cen'- tral portions by a pair of threaded U bolts or yokes Z2', the prongs of which pass through perforations in the springs a and a2 and the bow portion of which clamp and hold in position disks or caps b', provided with studs or projections b2, that are seated within suitable perforations in the spring section a3. At their lower ends the screw-threaded ends of the yokes h are provided with nuts h4, that clamp in position short metallic straps b5, which are thereby pressed against the under surfaces of the three spring-sections a a2 a3. In this manner the central portions of the three spring-sections are rigidly but detach ably secured together. The said central portions of the three springs may be further secured, if desired, by means of short nutted bolts d, passed therethrough and through a bracket Cl, and an ordinary stepbracket cl2 may be secured to the spring by one of the yokes l), heretofore noted, or by any other suitable means.

The ends of the reversed central section a of the side springs are pivotally connected to the free ends of arms f of transversely-extended equalizing rods or bars f. In this preferred construction each arm f is formed by two prongs, both of which are integrally formed with the corresponding equalizingrod j", and solid bearings f2 are placed upon the said rods in the process of their construction. These bearings f2 are secured to the under end portions of the vehicle-body 9 by means of screws or bolts f3, so that the equalizing-rods f are passed close to but just under the bottom of the. body 9.

The ends of the outer and downwardly-extended spring-sections a and a2 are pivotally connected to the free ends of arms g of transverselyextended equalizing-bars g. The said arms g are also in this preferred construction formed integral with the rods g and are spaced laterally in pairs adapted to embrace the ends of said spring-sections, which are pivotally connected thereto, as above in- The said IOO e ear/,5to

dicated, by means of bolts g2. At their forward ends the springs a a2 are thus supported from the forward equalizing-rod g', which in turn is supported from the transverse headblock 5, while at their rear ends said springs are supported from the rear equalizing-rod g', which in turn is supported from the rear axle. The devices for mounting the equalizing-rods g in the one case on the head-block 5 and in the other on the rear axle are alike, and the description of the said parts as applied to the said head-block will answer as a description of the same application thereof to the rear axle.

Near each end of the head-block 5 and in line with the side reach-rod 7 the equalizingrod g is directly mounted in a split box 7c 7c', the upper section 7o' of which has a depending lug 7a2, that overlaps the outer surface of the said head-block 5. The reach-bar 7 has projecting strap portions 10 and 1l, the former of which passes under the bottom of the head-block 5 and the latter of which has vertical projecting 4flanges l2, which bear against the inner surface of the said headblock 5. Nutted bolts l18 are passed through the said vertical flanges 12 of the strap 1l, through the head-block 5, and through the depending strap portion 7a2 of the box-section k. The lugs 12 andthe depending strap portions 702 are spaced apart far enough to permit a yoke or U-bolt 'n to be placed over the box-sections 7c k, and the head-block 5, with its screw-threaded ends, passes through suitable perforations in the reach-bar straps lO l1. said yokes or U-bolts n clamp the ends of the straps 10 tightly against the bottom or under surface of the head-block 5. By this means the parts are rigidly secured together, but may nevertheless be readily separated when occasion demands it.

By the arrangement above described the side reach-rods 7 are positioned directly under the central or intermediate section a3 of the corresponding side springs, and the end straps of the said reach-bars are applied to the head-block in the one instance and to the rear axle in the other at such points4 th at they directly receive the load strains from the springs, and thus prevent torsional strains from being put upon the said head-block and rear axle. This is an important feature of the construction.

The triple arrangement of the sections of the side springs gives several important results. It gives a more extended lateral base of support for the springs on the equalizingbars or on the running-gear directly if equalizing-bars are not employed, and thus gives greater lateral stability to the carriage-body, and consequently reduces the side swing or rolling motion of the said body. Again, as the upwardly and downwardly extended sections of the springs overlap or clear each other at their active ends or sections the springs are given greater resilience.

Nuts n on the screw-threaded ends of By reference particularly to Fig. 3 it will be noted that the parallel spring-sections a a2 are somewhat narrower than the central section d3. In designing these springs the sections are so proportioned that the two sections a a2, working together, will have about the same strength and resilience as will the single spring as, this of course being done in order to obtain the maximum efficiency from the composite spring as an entirety.

It will be further understood that the object in placing the laterally-spaced springsections a' a? at the bottom rather than at the top of the composite spring is to increase the base of resistance and lateral stability of the spring, and also by applying the torsional strains to the equalizing-rods g at two points rather than at one, to thereby increase the efficiency of the equalizing-rods, with the result that the body of the carriage will be carried more nearly level, even with the load placed all at one side of the body. Furthermore,with the specific arrangement described, wherein the connections between the equalizing-rods g and the cooperating springs a a2 are made on opposite sides of the bearings for that particular end of the said rod g', the said rods are relieved from strains tending either to sag or to raise their central portions.

What l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

l. A vehicle-spring of the character described, made up of three sections, secured side by side at their central portions, substantially as described.

2. A vehicle-spring of the character described, made up of the sections a a2 a3 and secured side by side at their central portions, with the free ends of the central spring 0.3 extended upward, and the free ends of the outside springs a and a extended down-l ward, to increase the lateral base of support of the composite spring, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the running-gear and body of a vehicle, of side springs supporting the body from said running-gear, said side springs comprising each the three spring-sections a a2 a3 connected side by side at their intermediate portions, equalizingbars connecting the free ends of the intermediate spring-section ag to the carriagebody, and equalizingsbars connecting the ends of the spring-sections o. d2 to said running-gear, substantially as described.

4. A spring of the character described, com prising the three spring-sections a a2 a3, the yokes or U-bolts Z2 passed through and tying together the spring-sections a' and a2, the clips or disks b/ held by said yokes b and provided with projections b2, engaging seats in the spring-section d3, the straps b5, and the nuts h4 on the screw threaded ends of said yokes b, said straps being clamped against the under surfaces of the said three spring-sections, substantially as described.

5. In a vehicle the combination with the IOO IIO

runninggear and body portion thereof of side springs supporting the body from said running-gear, each spring comprising the three sections ce (r2 a3, and side reach-rods connecting the rear axle and the head-block of the rnnning-gear, said reach-bars being extended in the same Vertical planes as the corresponding intermediate spring-sections co3, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a running -gear and body of a road-Vehicle, of side springs connected by eqnalizing-rods to said body and said runnin g-gear, and reach-bars extending from the rear axle to the head-block of said runnin ggear and directly and rigidly secured to and connecting the bearings or supports for the lower equalizing-rods, whereby the torsional strains are directly received by said reach-bars, substantially as described.

'7. The combination With the runninggear and body of avehicle, of the side springs made np of the sections a a2 d3, the equalizing-rods ff connecting the spring-sections c3 to said body, and with the eqnaliZing-rods g g', mounted in bearings, in the one instance on the head-block and in the othel` on the rear axle, the arms g of said equalizingrods being spaced apart to embrace the ends of the spring-sections a/ and a2 and to form intermediate bearing-surfaces for bearing-boxes, by means of which they are mounted on the said head block and rear axle,substantially as described.

8. The combination with the composite side springs made up of sections a ai d3 of the equalizing-rods g g', the arms g of which are spaced apart laterally and connected to the springs a a2 as described, the split boxes 7c 7o', the latter having a pair of depending lugs ""5 secured by bolts or otherwise to the headblock or rear axle, as the Gase may be, and the screw-threaded yokes n embracing said box-sections and the said head-block or rear axle, nuts on the screw-threaded ends of said yoke, and a reach-rod, having straps through which said yoke is passed, the said yokes holding said straps in position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD D; OIIANLAN.

Witnesses:

M. M. MCGRORY, F. D. MERCHANT. 

